Lazy Author's note:
A couple weeks have past; Brady is continuing with his bodyguard act and has met his family. Brady has also informed his father of Ling and the possible threat the entire family could be in (thanks NickyJean for the idea). Both Carrie and Eric have been notified but are unlikely targets. John is taking precautions to protect Belle and Marlena leaving Sami to another's care. . . .(like you can't guess).
Setting: the Dinner;
Belle is wearing a long sleeved cotton yellow dress with tiny orange blossoms decorating it; Chloe is in ripped up jeans and a powder blue top; and Brady is looking very fine, if uncomfortable in his black jeans and Spider-Man button down shirt.
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Wasn't there an old saying that no good deed goes unpunished? Chloe thought to herself as she pretended to listen to Belle prattle on about Shawn's new haircut and how hot he looked and wasn't school going to be fun this year and yada yada yada when in actuality she couldn't keep her eyes off of their 'protector' who had just reached over and without a so much as a 'how do you do' ate one of her fries and took a sip of her soda as well as a bite of his sister's burger and a gulp of said sibling's chocolate shake the second their meal was served only to go back to reading Time magazine as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
It was too much.
The rat bastard actually had the gall to taste her food for poison when she was in absolutely no danger what's so ever! Bad enough that he shadowed her everywhere she went. Bad enough that he camped outside her house in his van. And way bad enough that his father was in tight with the police chief (the little neo-nepotism nazi) and his sister was her own best friend (the wussie cry baby Polly Anna with her 'please don't be hard on Brady he was raised up in an entirely different society with entirely different values and morals'-oh boo hoo) and so she couldn't exactly take a restraining order out on him (not that he'd pay any attention to it if she did mind you--but this--this was the monkey that broke the camels back-wait straw, straw that broke the camel's back---Grrrrrr, stupid Brady Black with his stupid Kung Fu and inane cave man code of honor, scaring away Phillip and ruining her life, Aaagh!).
"Chloe…CHLOE!"
At Belle's shout for attention, Chloe snapped out of her internal monologue and re-joined the living eyeing her friend in confusion and left over irritation.
"What? Huh?" She asked still out of it, a paper tablecloth clutched tightly in her fist.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes of Course I am. I have No enemies, unlike Some People at this table and am in absolutely No danger. Why wouldn't I be alright?" Chloe responded snottily while twisting and scrunching the tablecloth giving Brady a glare of death while he purposefully ignored them both still 'pretending' to read.
"Well. . . . it's just you were like a million miles away and you kind of massacred your napkin. Eeep! Please don't hurt me!" Belle babbled out mockingly throwing up her arms to cover her head and face at Chloe's thunderous scowl and flinging away of the now torn to pieces napkin.
"Oh Pleeeze!" Chloe grumbled leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest, her baby doll T-shirt cropping up and exposing the flat of her belly in the process, "This whole situation bites!" She further scoffed while Belle giggled having noticed Brady's sidewise and interested glance focused on the nice expanse of smooth mid-drift.
"He's looking at me again, isn't he?" Chloe dead-panned whipping around to catch Brady burying his head quickly in his magazine as if intently reading. "But no he wouldn't look at me directly, no that would be against the rules remember? . . . Because if I can't have my Privacy we're going to at least Pretend that I do and that Brady doesn't exists, just like he Promised, right Belle?!"
"Oh Chloe, I'm sorry," Belle managed to gasp out between chuckles indulgently watching Brady's downcast chastised appearance, "I don't think I can do this. He is my brother. I can't just ignore that he's sitting inches away from us."
"Yah, but you managed to do a pretty fine job of it when he was eating our food."
"Chloooe. Come on, be nice. Please? Pretty Please, for me? Your bestest dearest pal?" The young blond pleaded with her patented guaranteed-to-sway puppy dog eyed, pouted lipped expression succeeding to make her friend sigh and throw her hands up in concession.
"Fine. You have permission to speak Brady."
No sooner than Chloe had said the words and the magazine was dropped to the table, the very animated and eager young man abandoning it to scoot his chair over to sit next to his startled sister, all his attention centered on her.
"Who's Shawn?" He inquired, folding his hands together, his stare unsettlingly fixated.
"I take it back Chloe, I can ignore him just fine. Make him shut-up."
"Not a chance. Ol' buddy o' pal--"
"--Belle who is this Shawn boy that you think is. . .ah. . .hot? How old is he? What are his intentions? What does his father do?"
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next chapter: Sami & Lucas for sure
Teaser: Lucas is *working out * when John takes Sami (kicking and screaming) to talk about the Brady/Ling situation.